Ohio State Univ. Precision Ag Expert John Fulton says farmers need a plan to collect, manage and store data so it can be used to make improvements in their operation with precision technology and AI. He recommends starting simple and working up to something more complex if you’re a data novice. 

“Add one data layer at a time, whether it’s pulling it off your monitor at night or looking at your iPad,” Fulton advises. “Make sure your yield monitor is calibrated because yield data ultimately is one of those layers that every precision ag provider requires to provide service to you.”

It’s also critical to back up data as soon as it’s collected, he notes, to reduce the risk of losing it after software updates or potential cyberattacks, which are becoming more common.

“I’m working with a client now and they had all this data,” Fulton recalls. “We came in one day and there was no data from the last 5 years. They never backed anything up and it had been deleted from the displays. There was some kind of update that occurred and they lost all that data that could’ve been used to build their fertility and seeding plans for the year.”

Strip-tillers should consider turning their data into at least one decision per year, Fulton says. 

Some simple, high-ROI data-based decisions include adjusting nitrogen (N) rates in low-yielding zones, reducing seed population on poorer soils, adding residue managers or adjusting downforce in heavy-residue areas, improving drainage in areas where residue keeps soils too cool or wet and changing hybrid placement based on past performance.

To learn more about the future of using AI and other cutting-edge technology in agriculture, read Noah Newman’s article “Farm Bots & AI: Keeping Strip-Till Operations on the Cutting Edge” featured in the Spring 2026 Issue of Strip-Till Farmer.